Mourinho's side 'had extra gear'
Monday 6 October 2014 16:15, UK
Chelsea were in complete control against Arsenal on Sunday and showed they’re on a higher level to their London rivals, says Gary Neville.
Goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa gave Jose Mourinho’s Premier League leaders a thoroughly deserved win at Stamford Bridge and Neville says their combination of skill and hard work makes them a formidable force in this season’s title race.
The Sky Sports pundit reckoned the result was never in doubt and while it wasn’t as crushing as last year’s 6-0 thrashing of Arsene Wenger’s side, it bore the hallmarks of a superior team.
You never felt Chelsea were in danger of not winning.
“Chelsea seemed to be in control of everything in the game,” he said. “It was comfortable.
“I didn’t think Arsenal played badly – I thought they started the game well, as Jose Mourinho said – but you never felt Chelsea were in danger of not winning.
“You always felt Chelsea had a gear to go up to if they needed to, while John Obi Mikel came on in the second half and they seemed to get stronger and sterner.
“The big moments were taken by Chelsea – Hazard got the penalty with a great run and then the combination between Cesc Fabregas and Costa in the second half was a fantastic goal.
“They’re at a higher level than Arsenal.”
Graeme Souness was equally impressed with Chelsea’s performance and, like Neville, had plenty of praise for their industry, as well as their creativity.
“You look at Chelsea today and they’re efficient,” he said. “They’ve got the job done.
“They’ve got great game management. They’ve got a few players out there who work out how the game is panning out, long before they get a message from the touchline or the dressing room at half-time.
“They are very impressive as a team – with some stars in there. Watch the Chelsea players when they lost possession, how quickly they got back in position, how quickly they got goal-side.
“It’s not just about doing clever things with the ball. When you’ve got great players and some very good players, all willing to put a shift in, it makes them a very dangerous animal.”
However, Souness was critical of Arsenal’s lack of cutting edge in the final third. Despite enjoying plenty of possession Wenger’s side didn’t manage a shot on target until the 90th minute.
Souness says their forwards must be more willing to try their luck and test the opposition goalkeeper if they want to make a breakthrough against the best sides.
“Arsenal have a lot of possession but it’s in the wrong areas or when they do get up on the edge of the box they overcook everything; it’s pass, pass, pass and they wait until they get a clear opportunity and a clear shot at goal,” he said.
“Well football at the highest level isn’t like that. You have to open up half a yard and get a shot off. They get possession on the 18-yard line and you think ‘go on then, go on then’, but they turn out and start again. That’s why it took them until the 90th minute to get a shot on target.
“When you have that amount of possession you’ve got to make the goalkeeper work. I’d like to see Arsenal risk a bit more, with all the possession they have.”
